MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a master's degree in Computer Engineering worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 23 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$140,393 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$140,393Median year-4 earnings
$23,677Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$140,393Typical earnings four years after completion
$147,105Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
94thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
23College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Computer Engineering

How much do Computer Engineering master's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $140,393 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Computer Engineering?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $128,177 to $158,029 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Computer Engineering?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$55,001
Federal debt
$7,917
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$69,873
Federal debt
$23,635
Programs in the comparison
6
6 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$105,640
Federal debt
$24,500
Programs in the comparison
198
192 report earnings →
CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$140,393
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
23
23 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$128,177National median$140,39375th percentile$158,029
23 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$158,02975th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

$246,366 four years after completionAnn Arbor, MI · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

Arizona State University Campus Immersion

307 reported awards in 2024–25Tempe, AZ · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

23 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 23 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$246,3662Santa Clara University$231,9293Harvard University$228,5194University of New Haven$192,1435University of California, San Diego$173,1806University of Minnesota-Twin Cities$161,9997George Mason University$158,0298Drexel University$154,6489Villanova University$143,74610Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Great Valley$140,393

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Architectural and Engineering Managers$171,270 median wage220,260 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 14,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$120,810–$262,760 typical wage rangeEngineering Teachers, Postsecondary$109,270 median wage40,270 jobs nationwide+7.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$61,550–$210,370 typical wage rangeComputer Hardware Engineers$161,740 median wage76,660 jobs nationwide+9.1% projected growth through 2035 · 4,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$92,940–$225,330 typical wage rangeDatabase Architects$139,500 median wage67,140 jobs nationwide+9.4% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$86,240–$204,000 typical wage rangeSoftware Developers$135,980 median wage1,687,890 jobs nationwide+10.2% projected growth through 2035 · 95,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$82,460–$214,670 typical wage rangeComputer Network Architects$134,050 median wage179,740 jobs nationwide+7.7% projected growth through 2035 · 9,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,900–$202,680 typical wage rangeSoftware Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers$104,300 median wage186,740 jobs nationwide+5.7% projected growth through 2035 · 10,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$61,440–$167,010 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.